After a brief talk with the hosts of our guesthouse, we decided to hike the Sendero al Fitz Roy for Laguna de los Tres tomorrow. As for today, we would like to give ourselves a second chance to see Cerro Torre despite the gloomy weather. We knew it was unlikely to have a clear view of the spiky Cerro Torre, but enjoying the hike to Laguna Torre a second time was way better than staying in town.
When we reached Mirador Torre, we could see that clouds at Cerro Torre were even lower than two days ago. We waited a bit at the lookout and decided go ahead to Laguna Torre. The weather forecast suggested by 3pm the clouds might start to clear up. We reached Laguna Torre at about 4pm, but there was no sign that the clouds would be gone anytime soon. The wind was mild today and that might have prevented any possible clearing. Once again we stayed at the stony beach and waited, but we could hardly see the foot of Cerro Torre. We then shifted our attention to the details of the surroundings: colourful boulders, milky water, blue icebergs, etc. On our way back we took our time to enjoy the scenery of the woodlands and river valley. By the time we reached halfway back the sun was out again above us, though when we looked back towards the mountains Cerro Torre was still heavily concealed by fog and clouds.
When we got back to El Chalten, we met another hiker who made four attempts on Senda a Laguna Torre but still failed to see the peaks of Cerro Torre. So be it, we would leave El Chalten without seeing the peaks of Cerro Torre. Until next time…* * *
Read more on El Chalten in 2013 South AmericaDay 74 – Patagonia Once Again, Ushuaia to El CalafateDay 75.1 – Laguna Torres, El ChaltenDay 75.2 – Estepa Restaurant, El ChaltenDay 76.1 – El Muro, El ChaltenDay 76.2 – Laguna Capri, El ChaltenDay 77.1 – Laguna Torre Once Again, El ChaltenDay 77.2 – Domo Blanco Ice-cream, El ChaltenDay 78.1 – Sendero al Fitz Roy, El ChaltenDay 78.2 – In-house Dinner, El ChaltenDay 79.1 – Goodbye El Chalten